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At least 15 police personnel were killed and three others injured after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Fateh Khel police checkpoint in Bannu late Saturday night, according to a news report by The Express Tribune.
The massive blast destroyed the checkpoint and trapped several officers under the rubble, officials said, according to the news report. Bannu Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan said, "The powerful explosion caused severe destruction at the checkpost, trapping several personnel under the debris." Rescue teams managed to pull out three police officers alive from the collapsed structure, while search and rescue operations continued through the night. Authorities identified the slain personnel as Rehmat Ayaz, Sanaullah, Niaz Ali, Habib, Saadullah Jan, Kamran, son of Khan Sikandar, another officer named Kamran, Noorullah, Abid Jani, Imran, Kaleemullah, Sadiqullah, Munir Alam Khan, Rahatullah Khan and Farooq. The injured officers were identified as Mujrim Feroz, Hayatullah and Qadarullah. DIG Sajjad Khan later visited the District Headquarters Hospital in Bannu to review the treatment being provided to the injured officers. According to the news report, the explosion was so powerful that it was heard across distant areas of the district and caused significant damage to nearby homes and civilian structures. Eyewitnesses said the police checkpoint was destroyed, while the roofs of several nearby houses collapsed due to the intensity of the blast. Rescue officials said operations were complicated by darkness and fears of follow-up militant ambushes targeting emergency responders and additional police reinforcements arriving at the scene. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the attack in a statement issued after the incident. Earlier on Sunday, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for carrying out 10 operations across Balochistan, stating that 10 Pakistani security personnel and four individuals it described as state agents were killed in attacks in Kharan, Washuk, Awaran, Kech, and Mastung, according to a report by The Balochistan Post (TBP). In a statement, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the group's fighters targeted Frontier Corps posts, military camps, a convoy, personnel assigned to guard a road construction company, and individuals it labelled as "death squad agents" and "state agents." The group also claimed that weapons were confiscated and surveillance cameras were destroyed during these operations, as reported by TBP. The BLF stated that on May 3, its fighters launched an attack on an FC checkpoint located on Gazi Road in Kharan city using rockets and grenade launchers, claiming that the projectiles struck inside the post, resulting in casualties and damage. The statement further alleged that Pakistani forces responded by opening "indiscriminate fire" on nearby civilians and attempted to chase the attackers using quadcopters. The BLF claimed its fighters managed to retreat to safe locations. (ANI)
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